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Unfortunately, I must admit that I don't think I fully understand the inherent problem or why what the Democrats did is the proper solution.

When Obama was elected Mitch McConnell declared war on Obama by saying he and his fellow Republicans would do everything possible to make Obama fail. The filibuster is the tool that they have used in the Senate. The graph shows what the Republicans are doing. McConnell wasn't the only one who declared war, but he was the loudest voice.

Making a president fail is the political equivalent of a 4yo having a temper tantrum every day because he couldn't have ice cream for dinner. It isn't mature and it accomplishes nothing. And, you would think that a declaration of war on Obama by preventing votes from making it to the floor of the Senate would be sufficient to satisfy Republicans Who Hate Obama, but the Tea Party/Know Nothings think McConnell is too liberal. The Tea Party is supporting a Republican challenger to McConnell in Kentucky at the next election. Does this sound sane? The Republicans as a group not only vow a war on Obama, they are warring among themselves.

A counterpoint to the filibuster issue is that for a filibuster to occur somebody had to stand on the floor of the Senate and talk until they passed out. So far only 2 senators have done that. Harry Reid should have forced more of them to engage an actual filibuster rather than simply taking the threats of a filibuster as a de facto filibuster.

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On the other side of the Capitol, the House of Representatives stalls legislation in committees instead of letting the legislation onto the floor for a vote, thereby making a functioning government very difficult. While this particular tactic has been used by both parties over the past century to stall a particular piece of legislation, the Republican members of the House have managed to use it every day, regardless of the importance or value of the legislation. The current Congress has passed the least amount of legislation compared to any Congress in the past 100 years. Of course, during the times that they aren't working on real legislation, they manage to send to the floor legislation for repealing "Obamacare" 41 times. They can send that to the floor 41 times but not a budget bill?

These legislative bodies are no longer functional. For Republicans, this is Mission Accomplished. The Democrats have never sought such dysfunction or achieved it.